Crimson Temptation
by PretendPlay
Summary: "Finn? What happened to you? Are you okay?" Jake looked scared and he had every reason to be. Finn knew he was pretty torn up, but he hesitated on telling his best friend how he got so injured. He just didn't want Jake to get the wrong idea. Marceline… Marceline hadn't meant it. It was an accident.
1. Unexpected Enemy

**Crimson Temptation **

**This is a fic about Marceline and Finn (as friends only). There is a serious lack of non-pairing fanfics for adventure time and that bothers me because although romance is important in the show, there are other important elements too, like adventure and friendship.**

**This is a very short multi-chapter fic that popped into my head and it hasn't been beta-ed yet, so I apologize for any grammatical mistakes. If anyone is up for being beta for this fic I would be grateful. **

**Also, I want everyone to be aware there is a lot of violence, gore and blood in this fic so I just wanted to warn you if you are sensitive to that. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Adventure Time or the characters in this fic and I do not make any money by posting this fic. If I did I would just write all day every day.**

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**Chapter 1: Unexpected Enemy**

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"Yeah man, this is awesome!" Finn laughed as brandished his sword before the monster, the moonlit sky illuminating his fighting stance.

A voice cackled behind him. "Yeah, this is more fun than I thought. Sometimes I forget how hard core a weenie like you can be. Who knew you would be up for taking down a Windigo?"

The human laughed again as he looked up at his vampire companion. "Killing evil things is what I'm all about!"

"Yeah well, that things not dead yet," Marceline pointed out as it snarled at the two of them, blood trickling from the top of its wounded head down its gaunt cheeks and dripping on the ground beneath its snarling fangs. The monster's bones seemed to protruded from its body and only a layer of thin dark skin stretched to cover them. The creature was three times as tall as Marceline and it reeked of death. At one point on time Marceline thought of taming one as a pet, but they were so damn hard to beat even for a vampire, so she never though it worth her effort.

However, Finns eye's seemed to brighten at the opportunity to fight one. Besides, for something that would have given her trouble, Finn seemed to be doing just fine on his own. Marceline was aiding Finn in his fight, but she couldn't help but get caught up in watching the action. It was unbelievable how something so small and human could hold his ground against something so large and supernatural.

Finn was quick, quicker than she remembered, and he was strong and didn't hold an ounce of enthusiasm back. His sword- his family sword- allowed him to deal blows that were actually causing mortal harm to the beast. How a dog family managed to get a sword imbued with demon blood she would never know.

She had always known Finn to be strong and reckless, and sometimes his bravery overwhelmed his common sense, but it wasn't until this fight that she realized how much potential he had. He was only thirteen years old and fun for him was taking down a cursed monster. Marceline had never once been remotely interested in seeing what mortals would grow up to become, but she couldn't help but wonder about Finn.

Finn assaulted the beast, using his sword to block the attacks of the Windigo's sharp claws as he ran underneath the monster. He jumped upward, stabbing the monster in the chest, and the Windigo let out an ear piercing howl. Before Finn could get his sword unstuck, the beast struck him with his paw, sending the human flying into a tree.

Marceline flinched at the loud crack Finn's body made against the tree, and she swooped down to float in-between the monster and the injured human. However, the monster seemed too preoccupied with tearing at the sword lodged in its chest to go after the boy again. Before Marceline could check on her friend, Finn was already getting to his feet, his hand clutched over his upper left arm, a grimace on his face.

Marceline could smell the blood even from where she was and she knew the wound was bad, possibly dangerous if he didn't get it bandaged soon.

To her surprise, Finn ran past her, heading straight for the beast. He was injured, he had no weapon or plan, but from the look on his face Marceline knew he was determined to finish the fight.

With the speed and experience of mortals twice his age, Finn dodged through the Windigo's legs and grabbed hold of his sword in his good hand. Finn yanked it out with ease, and sliced the beast's right leg in one fluid motion. The Windigo stumbled to the ground, nearly crushing the human. Finn took the opportunity and jumped on the monsters back, using both hands to pull himself up and seemingly managing to ignore the gash on his arm. The beast tried to claw him off, but Marceline understood Finn's plan and she knew the fight was already over.

Finn made it to the beast's snarling head, wrapped his legs around its neck, and plunged his sword through the top of the beast's skull.

There was an almost inconceivable second where the beast froze in confusion, and then it dropped like a stone. Finn rolled off its back onto the cool ground. He lay there breathing heavily.

Marceline couldn't move; that fight had been… intense.

As though he hadn't nearly just lost his life, or maybe because he almost did, Finn began to laugh.

It was an innocent, light hearted laugh, full of relief and joy.

"That was awesome!" he cried out, lifting both hands into the air, only to clutch his left arm to his chest a second later. "…Ouch."

Marceline chuckled to herself, placing a strand of her hair behind her ears. The kid was full of surprises.

Finn sat up to inspect the gash on his arm which had been caused by the beast's claw. It was bleeding profusely and his whole left arm was now drenched in blood. The cut was almost to the bone and Marceline wondered if Finn would soon pass out now that the adrenaline would be leaving his system.

Almost nonchalantly, Finn removed his backpack and began searching for something; medical supplies most likely.

Marceline floated closer to get a better look, but not too close. The scent of Finn's blood was making her dizzy and she didn't trust herself around that much blood. She had never tasted human blood before, but it was the most coveted of all blood and the rarest. Hundreds of years ago vampire clans would kill over who would possess the last of the humans, but now the vampires' favorite pray was gone. All except one.

It was too bad Finn was her friend because she could see why vampires risked their unlife for-

_No. Stop it. Don't think like that. _

"Hey Marcie, you okay?" Finn called over to her.

Marceline managed to force out a laugh. "Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

Finn shook his head, a large smile on his face. "Nah, I'm fine. Hmm, I can't seem to find the bandages though…"

Marceline could feel her stomach turned in unease.

"I must have forgotten to pack more after last time. We are close to your house; do you have any bandages that I could borrow?"

Yes, invite yourself over to a vampire's house when you're bleeding to death, Finn. That's safe.

Why doesn't he realize-? But she knew her answer.

_Because he trusts you._

"You sure you can even make it to my house? In my experience you mortals need your blood inside your bodies to function."

Finn nodded. "Yeah…" His nose wrinkled like he was going to do something unpleasant.

Finn removed his hat from his head to reveal a mess of short golden-blond hair. Marceline almost fell out of the air. He looked so… _human _without that hat. Was that why he kept it on? Why did it feel so monumental that he would take it off? Maybe Finn was a little more desperate about the blood loss then he let on.

Finn frowned thoughtfully at the hat before he reluctantly tied tightly over his gash, flinching slightly. Finn may not be well educated, but he seemed to know enough about medical care to keep himself alive.

"Huh," Marceline murmured.

"W-what?" Finn asked nervously, staring up at her with wide eyes, his cheeks darkening slightly. He was obviously more self-conscious without his hat on his head Marceline noted in amusement.

"Nothing… let's get you to my house."

He would lose too much blood if Marceline made him walk back to his Treefort, and her lair was only ten minutes from where they were.

Finn stood up and placed his sword in his backpack's strap.

Marceline's throat burned as the overwhelming scent of his blood grew stronger. She swallowed reflexively. This was going to be difficult. Maybe Finn shouldn't be putting his sword away. He may need it again, but for an entirely different type of enemy.

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**There you go, chapter one done. I hope you enjoyed it, and if you haven't figured it out by now this fic is about the more vampire side of Marceline, and even though she can drink shades of red, the more primal side of her wants more than just the food coloring. XD**

**The chapters will get longer as we go, but for now I hope you have enjoyed yourself. And don't worry, I will update soon! Please don't forget to leave a review and let me know what you think. I appreciate reviews very very much and I would love to hear from the lovely AT fandom! **


	2. Blood Lust

**Ha! Told you guys I would update soon. And you doubted me? O-oh, you didn't? Well, uhh, good! Good then….**

**First off, I would love to thank everyone for their lovely reviews. They mean a lot, they really do. And thanks to everyone who favorited or alerted this story. I hope this chapter does not disappoint!**

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**Chapter 2: Blood Lust**

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"Are you sure you're okay, Marceline? You look pale…"He paused at the look the vampire gave him. "Well, paler than usual."

"Teh, why wouldn't I be, weenie?" Marceline floated above him as they walked. She was trying to keep her distance, and the wind was less likely to blow the scent of his blood up here. It was helping, if only a little.

"I don't know, but taking down that evil Windigo was awesome! Don't you think?"

"Yeah…" Marceline smirked evilly. "Better keep an eye on that cut though. Even the slightest scratch from a Windigo can turn you into one."

Finn's eyes grew large under his matted bangs. "Oh Glob, can that actually happen?"

"Sure, it happens all the time."

"Well, what do we do? I-is there an antidote or a spell or-" his pitch was rising higher and higher as he began to panic. "Marceline, if I turn into a Windigo you can't let me bite anyone!"

Marceline laughed. "Relax Finn, I was kidding, I don't think you are going to turn into a Windigo."

"Huh? But why not? You said-"

"A Windigo is a beast of gluttony and greed. In order to turn into one you must already have these in your heart." She shook her head humorously. "I think you're going to be fine."

"Really? But I can be pretty greedy! Sometimes I'll give myself more ice cream than Jake, or I'll take an extra turn on Beemo, or-"

Marceline burst out laughing, clutching her sides. "Oh, wow, Finn, you're great," she said between chuckles, "You can always make me laugh."

She managed to get her laughter under control, but she couldn't wipe the smile off her face. Her concern over her blood lust was pushed to the back of her mind.

"Finn, you're Mr. Good Guy. In a thousand years I've never met anyone with a moral compass like yours. You're the most selfless guy I know, so believe me when I say you don't have to worry about turning into a Windigo."

Finn blushed, glancing at the ground. "Heh, thanks Marcie."

"Oh, it's not a compliment," she teased holding up a lecturing finger. "To a vampire being selfless is dumb. If you don't look out for number one then other vampire and demons will take advantage of you. You don't think I got to be the Vampire Queen by being nice to everyone, do you?"

Finn laughed. "I guess not. Still, you're the nicest vampire I know."

The guilt of having to struggle to keep her thirst under control swung back full force. She had never felt so guilty or this ashamed of what she was before. How does Finn do that? How does he make people want to be better?

"Yeah, well…" but Marceline couldn't bring herself to say even one of the snappy comebacks she had on her tongue. "Thanks, Finn."

They arrived at the edge of the lake and they could see the entrance of her cave from here. For a second she panicked, but then an idea came to her.

"Hey Finn, I'm going to fly ahead and look for the bandages. They're buried since, you know, I never have to use them and I'm not sure where they are. You can row yourself to my house like normal, right?"

"But, Marceline!"

"Great! See you in a sec!"

Marceline flew off before Finn could protest further. She knew it was a little mean to make Finn take the little row boat she put out so people could visit her, but she reasoned it was kinder than carrying him and risk losing control.

Now for the bandages.

She really didn't have any proper ones, but she had some clean rags that she could rip up and some alcohol as a disinfectant. What Finn really needed were stitches, so Marceline grabbed a needle and thread. It wasn't the most ideal thing to use, but Finn could use the fire from a candle to disinfect the needle. That is… if he knew how to do stitches on himself. Marceline knew how and she could probably do it quicker than he could, but once again, she knew it was a bad idea to be close to that much blood, especially human blood. Besides, something told Marceline that Finn could do it on his own. He may be only thirteen but he was born into a world of monsters and still wanted nothing more than to explore the world in spite of all its dangers. Yeah, he was young, but he was also tough.

Finn walked into the house not a few seconds after she got everything set up. His breathing was a bit ragged and his lips were unusually pale.

Marceline backed up when the smell of his blood hit her. His hat was no longer keeping his blood from leaking out and it was once more running freely down his arm.

"Yikes, are you okay?" she asked, trying to keep her cool.

He looked unbelievably tired, but he still managed to smile and nod. "Yeah, I'm fine." He used his good hand to brush his hair, which had become sticky from sweat, from his eyes.

"Okay… well, the first aid stuff is in the bathroom and you might want to stitch that cut up before you drip the rest of your bodily fluids on my carpet."

Finn jumped and twirled around to see he was indeed creating a trail of blood. "Oh cram! I'm sorry! I'll clean that up."

Marceline wave him off. "It's fine. Now go get cleaned up; you look like you're about to pass out."

It really wasn't fine. Marceline was going to be smelling blood in her house for weeks and it was going to drive her crazy. However, it wasn't Finn's fault and he shouldn't be blaming himself.

Finned looked a little dizzy as he made his way down the hall and into the bathroom.

With a relieved sigh Marceline flopped down on her couch, not even bothering to float.

Oh Glob, her hands were shaking. It got so much worse in an enclosed space where there was no wind to blow the scent away. Plus, Finn's bleeding hadn't slowed, and instead, it had gotten worse with all the extra exercise it took for them to get to her lair. Marceline's vision was swimming so she closed her eyes, but that didn't help either because she could still hear Finn's heartbeat from the bathroom, taunting her.

What was she going to do? If she stayed here she would almost certainly lose control. She should leave. That would be the safest option for Finn. She should fly to the Treefort and let Jake know what was going on. Jake could help Finn, and then Marceline didn't have to be around him until he was all patched up and she no longer wanted to rip into his neck and drink so deep that the fire in her throat would extinguish… and… and…

_Oh, oh no._

Her head swam, and a vicious growl ripped from her throat. She was so, so thirsty. Her ability to drink the color red would do nothing to satisfy this urge, not while there was fresh blood around.

_Come on, think of Finn, Marcie. He's your friend, one of your closest friends, one of your very few friends. He would do anything for you. He's proved that over and over again. He trusts you. You can't hurt him. You can't._

_Just please…._

It was too late. She couldn't move from the couch now, not even to try and get to Jake, because if she got up now she wasn't completely sure where she would go. Would she leave the house and get help, or would she head straight to the bathroom? She truly didn't know which side of herself would win. Therefore, she laid stone-still on her couch, eyes closed and fists clenched as she fought hard against every impulse that was screaming at her, begging her to quit being so ridiculous, quit being so soft. Telling her that he's not worth it, he's just a mortal.

_Please… don't let me hurt him. _

She didn't know how long she sat there in the trance that made her whole body feel like a war-zone. However, she was awoken by the sound of a voice. It sounded far away, but the heat of a body was so close; too close.

She opened her mouth to warn him, but in that moment the scent of Finn's blood attacked her senses and when she opened her eyes all she could see was blackness. The last thing she remembered was reaching out a clawed hand and the sound of ripping flesh.

The agonizing scream that followed was drowned out by the taste of human blood.

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**Okay, now we get to the intense part. Honestly, it's mostly angst from here until we get closer to the end of the fic. Yay angst! We all love it, you know, in moderation, and when I say moderation I mean by the two-ton bag full. **

**If you liked this (or hated it, I guess) please review and let me know what you think! A review is the best gift you can give an author. **


	3. The Fatal Blow

**Oh my glob you guys! You guys really like it! I'm so excited! All your positive review just made my heart melt. Even after this fic I think I'll be staying in this fandom for a long time and write a lot more, just 'cause you guys are so awesome. XD**

**Anyway, I didn't want you guys to wait too long for a new update so here you go! This one is a bit longer. Truth be told these chapters are going to be getting longer and longer (I honestly can't help it). Actually, they seem really short to me. On my other account I have a story with chapters that are 40 pages or longer. Errr, that's enough about me. Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 3: The Fatal Blow**

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Twenty minutes later, Finn walked out of the bathroom, his cut cleaned, stitched, and bandaged. He knew Jake would insist he go to the royal doctors in the Candy Kingdom tomorrow to get it looked at, and PB would be angry if she heard about this incident and learned he didn't take advantage of her doctors. Finn didn't really think that was necessary, but he would go just to humor them. Marceline had provided him with everything he needed and Finn thought it was especially nice of her because she was undead and he doubted she usually dealt with injuries. She had gone out of her way to help him. Even though Marcie didn't like to admit it, he knew she cared for him, Jake and even PB.

A shiver ran through him even though the house wasn't very cold. This was far from Finn's first time experiencing a substantial amount of blood loss and he knew he was feeling the symptoms. He wished desperately for his hat so he could at least keep his head warm, but it was currently drenched in blood. Good thing he had many more like it at home; however, right now he was feeling exposed without it.

"Hey, Marcie?" he called, but he was greeted with silence. Finn walked around the living room and spotted Marceline on the couch. He smiled to himself and figured she was sleeping. Only… her fists were clenched together and she was shaking. It looked as if she was in pain. A few growls and hisses escaped her throat and Finn began to worry. Was she having some sort of nightmare?

Finn decided it would be best to try and wake her up. Although it would be daylight soon and this is usually when she slept, he knew when he was having a nightmare he would always appreciate it when Jake woke him up.

Marcie's sharp teeth were bared and she let out another angry hiss as he approached.

"Marcie? Marcie!" he called. He leaned over her and shook her shoulders. "Marcie, wake up!"

With a ferocious snarl Marceline snapped up into a sitting position, her eyes wide and lips curled back to expose her fangs. Finn jumped back. Those weren't Marceline's eyes he was staring into. His friends face was distorted; her teeth were larger than usual and her eyes were a deep angry red. The foreign eyes were fixed on him, but they were hollow and there wasn't even a glimmer of Marceline's ancient-but-youthful self.

"Umm, Marceline?"

Marceline's bared her teeth and let out a hiss that gave him goose bumps down his neck; she leaned forward, her eyes hungry. Before he could speak she jumped on top him, pinning him down on the couch as her right hand tore at the back of his shoulder, cutting deep through his flesh. He screamed and tried to wiggle free, but her claws were buried in his shoulder; it hurt to move, it hurt to do anything. Unexpectedly, she let go of him and he managed to roll off the couch and onto the floor. The reason for his escape became clear when he looked up to see Marceline had become distracted with eagerly licking his blood off of her hand.

From the floor, Finn couldn't help but stare up at Marceline- no, not Marceline. Marceline was his friend. Finn knew Marceline would never hurt him, the same way he knew the cosmic owl moved the planets around the sun, and that Jake would never turn down ice cream.

This wasn't Marceline, this was a monster. And if Marceline was still in there, she was fighting.

"Marcie! It's me, Finn! Don't you recognize me?" Finn shuttered as he gripped his shoulder. Oh Grob, it burned. His stomach turned and he could feel the vile in his throat.

_Come on, keep it together, Finn._

"It's me, Finn, your friend!" Finn managed to stand again, but his movement caught the vampire's attention.

Her dark red eyes locked onto him, and then she smirked. It was a triumphant, callous smirk; one of a predator who had chosen it's pray.

Before he could think to move, her hands were on his throat, pushing him against the far wall. How did he even get over here? She was faster than he ever imagined. Her free hand dug into his arm and his blood pooled onto her pale skin and splashed onto her wood floor.

Finn struggled to breathe as her hands tightened around his throat. His brain was frozen in a confused panic mode that seemed to override any sense of logic. He writhed and fought against her, but she was too strong, stronger than any enemy he had known. His strength was sapped from his body as he gasped for air.

Then, like a miracle, one last saving move became clear.

Finn kicked her legs hard out from underneath her and with a surprised screech she dropped to the ground. Finn managed to keep the upper hand, retrieving his sword from behind his back and held her to the ground by pressing the weapon against her throat... only to realize in the last second what he was doing.

Marceline hissed up at him and Finn, finally able to breathe again, backed off, his family sword still pointed at Marceline. In these precious few seconds before she attacked him again, Finn tried to figure out what was going on. This wasn't Marceline, he already knew that, but what had happened to her? Was it the nightmare she had been having, or had that even been a nightmare at all? Finn stared as one of his best friends got to her feet so she could kill him, her face twisted and hungry, like a real vampire…

Vampire. Marceline was a vampire. He was so stupid.

"Marceline, I know you're still in there!" he pleaded, "I don't want to hurt you, but I know you wouldn't want me to let you drink my blood either!

Marceline hissed and lunged for his throat, but Finn was ready and used his sword, not to block her attack, but to take a swing at her as well. This caused Marceline to side-step the blow and back off from the human.

Finn bit his lip, guilty at the fatal blow he had attempted to attack Marceline with, but he knew that to even have a chance at surviving this he couldn't hold anything back. He couldn't just defend himself, he had to fight. Hopefully, Marceline would be able to dodge his attacks and come to her senses before either one of them got hurt. Or more hurt, in Finn's case.

The hilt of Finn's sword was already sticky with blood and his breathing was labored as if he had been exercising for hours. He knew he had lost way too much blood to be fighting for his life right now, and he wish more than anything that he had his brother with him. Jake would protect him. Finn never felt scared like this when Jake was around.

Marceline began transforming. Her arms and legs began to stretch and her body cracked as her torso became longer and her facial features distorted into something savage and greedy.

Finn backed away from her, his sword pointed directly at her chest.

"Marcie, please don't make me fight you." Hot tears leaked down his cheeks. He was scared, terrified for himself and for her. "You're my best friend; I don't want to hurt you." His voice wavered, his knees shook, but from years of fighting and experience, his sword was steady. "Come on, Marcie, this isn't you." Even if there was a winner of this battle, there would be no winner; they would have both lost something.

Marceline licked her lips, and let out a long predatory hiss. Her usually human-like fingers extended into large ugly claws and she sprinted at him on all fours. Finn swung his heavy sword at her head while he dived out of the way. She dodged his attack easily like he knew she would, but missed her intended target and only managed to catch the calf of his leg with her claws.

His cringed and the extra blood only seemed to excite her more as she turned on him once again. Snarling, she jumped on top of him, searching for his throat with elongated teeth. However, Finn was ready.

He wasn't even thinking anymore. He wasn't thinking she was Marcie his friend, or that he was Finn the human. He was just a mortal being struggling against all odds for survival against a monstrous enemy.

With his sword clutched tightly in his right hand, Finn thrust it forward, deep within her stomach.

Marceline shrieked, an ear piercing sound that caused Finn's ears to ring. The vampire immediately flew backwards, slamming her body against the far wall of her house and clutching her stomach tightly.

It was this scene, his vampire friend in pain, that made Finn's mouth fall open in realization of what he had done.

"Oh no! Marcie!" he dropped his sword and scrambled forward in panic.

_What have I done? I've hurt her! What have I done?_

While trying to get to her, Finn's injured arms and leg gave out beneath him and he fell to his stomach. Marceline's long black hair covered her face as she sat in silence, curled up in pain.

"Marceline!" Finn cried, and attempted to get up again but to his frustration he stumbled and nearly hit his head on the floor.

Something stirred in the vampire, and slowly, she loosened her grip on her stomach and peeked out between her hair. The first thing Finn noticed was her eyes were no longer burning with animalistic desire, but were distant and full of confusion.

"Oww," she spoke slowly as if coming out of a trance. "That… actually hurt, Finn."

"M-Marceline?" Finn choked on the name. He could feel his arms and legs shaking beneath him, and the world spun around him, but he took a breath to steady himself. He didn't know if he would need to fight again.

She blinked a few times, and her eyes seemed to gain some focus. She looked down at her stomach and back up at Finn. Her fangs and facial features slowly began to return to normal.

Then, her eyes widened, the reality of the situation finally hitting her.

"_Finn,"_ she didn't yell, but the emotion in her voice made it sound like she wanted to scream.

Tears continued to pour down Finn's face. She was back, Marceline was back. He felt relief, but also more fear than he had ever felt in his life. Marceline was hurt. He had hurt her, _on purpose_. He had dealt her a fatal blow for a human, and what if… what if it was a fatal blow for her too?

Suddenly, Marceline's features became blank, and before Finn could even open his mouth to speak, she transformed into a large bat and flew out the window into the sunrise.

In shock, Finn struggled to push himself up, but his arms gave out the same time as his willpower did. Finn pressed his forehead against the cold, wood floor and sobbed.

* * *

_Finn laughed, and gave her one of his wide grins, the same grin that shouted, 'I'm alive and I love every moment of it because I'm sharing it with you'. _

"_Still, you're the nicest vampire I know."_

That's what he had told her, the queen of the vampires, less than an hour ago. She had done so much evil in her life, cause so much pain…

"_Thanks, Finn."_

She had been struck by his pure honesty. Even though she was sure he didn't know many vampires, that didn't seem to matter.

Her chest ached like someone was driving a stake through it repeatedly. The deep wound on her stomach? That was _nothing_ in comparison.

Tears leaked from her eyes and she let them fall. She had spent a thousand years of guarding her pride, but it meant nothing now; the queen of the vampires, undone by a few seconds of losing control, and a death of a mortal.

At least, she thought he was dead; she didn't have much time to examine him, but he had lost a lot of blood and would probably die soon. However, even if he was alive, and bless Grob if he was, she would never see him again.

"I'm so sorry, Finn," she whimpered, squeezing her eyes closed.

And for the first time, Marceline the Vampire Queen felt really, truly dead.

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**Why am I so mean to the characters? Why? Especially Finn. What's wrong with my brain? Lol**

**Anyway, I hope you liked it! I'm gonna go seek mental help now… review! **


	4. Brotherly Comfort

**Hey guys, sorry this is out a little later than usual. I had to rewrite… well, quite a few parts of it before I was happy. This chapter and the next chapter are my favorite part of the fic and the very reason I wrote it.**

**I would also like to mention that the blood loss in the last chapter was in Finn's point of view, and therefore, may seem more than it is. That was done on purpose, and hopefully this chapter will describe in more correct detail how bad his wounds really were. However, server blood loss for a 13 year old kid is still very serious, and I hope I do a good job in describing the symptoms.  
**

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**Chapter 4: Brotherly Comfort**

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His body was shaking badly but he managed to drag himself to the bathroom. His head was spinning and he used the remainder of the bandages Marceline left for him to patch himself up the best he could. His left shoulder where Marceline had first attacked him was the worst. It wasn't as deep as the wound he got from the Windigo, of which he prayed his stitches were still holding, but it was still pretty bad and at an awkward angle to bandage. He attempted to wrap as much cloth as he could around his shoulder and tied it as tight as his shaking hands could manage, just as Jake taught him. The scratches on his leg weren't as deep as he first thought, and neither was the puncture wound on his arm where Marceline had grabbed him. Finn wondered with an increasingly fatigued body if he should even bother with these, but in the end he forced himself to wrap a bandage around them, just in case.

When he finished his hands were shaking so hard he couldn't tie another knot to save his life. He propped his back up against the bathroom wall, and for the first few seconds he tried to fight the heavy urge to sleep, but he was quickly overcome by the appealing nothingness.

By the time Finn woke up it was bright outside. The dreadful feeling that his back was on fire was what had woke him up. He straightened himself up against the bathroom wall and the first thing he noticed was his back was stiff, like it was caked with cloth and dried blood. The bleeding most likely hadn't stopped completely, but it had definitely slowed. Finn must have been asleep for quite a while because even though he was still in pain his body felt stronger.

Carefully, Finn got back on his feet and cringed as the scratches on his back ached with every move. His leg throbbed a little, but it was the sharp shooting pain in his back that would hinder him the most. He walked into the living room slowly, testing his strength before he took on more than he could handle.

Finn had to get back home. He couldn't stay at Marceline's house; he couldn't stand the sight of the bloodied floor or the broken furniture she had smashed into during the fight. It reminded him of what had happened and what he had just done to her.

He wanted to go home… he had to see Jake. Jake would know what to do; he always knows what to do.

Finn remembered when he was little and something had gone terribly wrong, Jake would stretch a little bigger and allow Finn to crawl up onto his lap. He would tell Finn about astonishing, but possibly made up, stories about adventurers that were so strong they could do anything they wanted. The adventurers in Jake's stories were never scared; they never felt out of place or lost a single battle. For a small human boy living in the magical land of Ooo without any powers or any idea where he came from or what he was, these heroes in the stories were his idols. He would one day become strong like those adventures. He would save people like the ones who saved him, and he would never feel out of place again.

Finn could feel the back of his eyes stinging as he thought of his big brother. He needed his brother more than anything in the world right now.

Finn left the cave, his shoulder screaming at him as he rowed the tiny boat to shore. Finn was used to having to read the sun for the time, and it looked to be around ten o' clock. Jake may or may not have gotten back from Lady Rainicorn's by this time, and even if he was, Finn doubted his brother was worried about him. This wasn't the first time Finn had been hanging out with Marceline and had to spend the night, so Jake wouldn't start wondering where he was until later that day. However, Finn couldn't wait for Jake to come looking for him; he wanted to go home now.

On his walk home, Finn soon discovered that around five hours of rest was not enough to recover from severe blood loss.

He found himself alternating between shivering and overheating. His skin felt clammy, and his body started shaking uncontrollably, especially during the last leg of his journey.

By the time he reached his house he was drenched with sweat mixed with blood, and his body was so numb he could barely feel his legs. With some effort he swung the door to the Treefort open and stumbled inside, still trying to catch his raged breath.

Jake was playing video games on Beemo when he entered. His brother opened his mouth to great him, but when his eyes landed on Finn's injured state he froze, his controller dropping from his paws and his mouth fell open.

"Finn!" he gasped, jumping up in panic. He rushed to his brother's side, his eyes wide with worry, asking a million questions that Finn couldn't process coherently. In fact, Finn couldn't understand anything; the room began to spin.

_Why was it so hard to breathe?_

Finn's legs gave out beneath him, but instead of landing on the hard floor, he was cradled in the soft fur of his brother's arms.

"Finn? Finn, what happened? Are you okay? Finn!"

Finn choked as he tried to gasp for air. His whole body was weak, and it felt like a miracle he had made it home in time. It was like once he saw Jake he had no motivation left, and he finally gave into the exhaustion, but he didn't realize giving in would be so painful.

"Jake…" he croaked, burying his face in his brother's warm, furry chest for comfort.

Suddenly, everything that happened last night hit him, hard. The way Marceline looked when she attacked him, the feeling of plunging his sword into her stomach, the inability to breathe properly at the moment and the thought that he could die from blood loss. An overwhelming sense of fear began to consume him and he gripped his brother tighter.

"Shh, it's okay little bro, everything's going to be fine." Finn felt Jake stroking his hair comfortingly. "You're going to be okay, I promise."

His stomach wrenched painfully, and Finn gagged and threw up on the floor. His heartbeat pounded in his ears and he could feel himself slipping away into unconsciousness. The only thing he was aware of was Jake's grip on him tightening.

"It's alright, Finn; everything's going to be alright."

The room spun once more and everything went black.

* * *

Finn woke with a start. The first thing he noticed was his hat was still missing because his hair was in his eyes. He lifted his hand to rub the blond hair away from his face, but immediately retracted his hand when his shoulder felt like it was being ripped apart from the movement.

"Oww…" he groaned, and he waited for the painful sensation to ebb away before he tried to move again. His shoulder and arm had been bandaged up again in a much better job than he had initially done, and although he still felt dizzy and a little weak, he could at least think clearly.

He saw Jake curled up at the side of his bed, and Finn tried to sit up without alerting his best friend, but he barely moved before Jake's head snapped up.

"Finn! You're awake!" Jake engulfed him with the biggest hug he could, and with his stretchy powers Finn was lucky he wasn't smothered.

"Yeah, man…" Finn mumbled quietly, still trying to get his head around everything that transpired. He barely remembered the journey from Marceline's house to the Treefort, but the fight at Marceline's house was burned in his memory forever.

"Bro, you scared me half to death! What happened? How did you get hurt?" Jake was in his lap now, staring up at him with large, worried eyes.

Finn's throat closed up at the thought of what had happened. How Marceline had attacked him… and how he had stabbed her.

Finn pursed his lips and shook his head; the movement caused the room to spin. He didn't want to tell Jake. He was worried Jake would get the wrong idea. Marceline didn't mean to hurt him; Marceline would never hurt him on purpose. It had been an accident.

"What do you mean 'no', man? You have to tell me!" Jake was frantic. "What was so bad you can't tell me?"

Tears dripped from Finn's eyes and he wiped them away, ashamed. "She… she didn't mean it…" he mumbled.

"Who didn't mean it? Who did this to you?"

Finn knew he couldn't keep this from Jake; he never kept anything from his best friend, and this wasn't something Jake would be willing to drop.

"Mar-Marceline," Finn choked out before his whole body was wracked in sobs, and he clutched his wounded shoulder, wishing the pain would go away.

Jake froze, his eyes grew wide and he seemed to stop breathing.

"W-what do you mean? What do you mean…Marceline…?"

Finn shook his head, and managed to control his sobbing. "N-no, she… she didn't mean it. It was an accident! There was blood… we, we were fighting a Windigo and I got hurt. I-I didn't think- I forgot what Marcie was… I forgot to pack bandages in my bag and so I went to her house to fix my arm. She… was uncomfortable, I can tell now." Finn wiped a few stray tears from his face. Why didn't he realize how uncomfortable she was? He saw she was always floating a distance away from him and he thought that was weird, but he never stopped to think about why she was doing that. She was trying to protect him, he knew that now. "She didn't want to be around me because I was bleeding, and she's a vampire and of course she is going to want to…to…" He gave a shuttering sob. "But still, I was hurt and she wanted to help me. We made it to her house and I fixed myself up, but I think I got too close to her… I got too close and… and…"

Finn squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to remember.

"She attacked you!" Jake gasped, grabbing onto Finn's shirt as if he was still scared of having his brother taken away from him. "She almost killed you!"

"No!" Finn protested, "Marcie didn't mean it! Don't you get it? It's my fault!"

Jake didn't say anything as the two of them stared at each other for a long time, Finn's face wet with tears and Jake's jaw clenched in worry and frustration. Finally, he let go of this brother's shirt and stretched larger until he could lie alongside Finn. Jake pulled his brother's back and head up on his chest so Finn could rest against him comfortably. He couldn't see Finn's face, but now he could wrap his arms around him like he used to do when Finn was little. He could feel Finn already start to relax.

"It's not your fault, Finn," he told him seriously, and he could hear Finn sniffle. "It's not." Jake squeezed him tighter. "Marceline was the one who almost killed you. I knew being friends with a vampire was a bad idea, I knew it was dangerous. If anything it's my fault. But you're alive, and that's what matters. You don't have to worry about Marceline ever again, she won't hurt you anymore."

Finn twisted around, trying to look at his brother. "No, Jake, you don't get it. I have to go find Marceline and try and make this right!"

"What?" Jake stared down at his brother in astonishment. "She almost killed you, man! Do you know how messed up you were? You've been asleep for hours, and you lost so much blood! I bandaged you again and put you in your bed but I thought you were going to die, Finn!"

"I know, but she didn't mean it! It was an accident!"

Jake sighed. "How do you know that, man? Listen, she used to be my friend too, and I know you cared about her, but how can you say it was an accident? How can attacking someone be an accident?"

Finn settled back down, leaning against his best friend as he studded his hands. "You just gotta trust me, Jake, she wasn't herself. It was like she was possessed or something. I think the smell of my blood made her crazy."

"I do trust you, Finn, but I don't trust her. She should have done something! If she knew she might hurt you or lose control or whatever than she should have left!" Jake growled a guttural sound deep in his throat that Finn rarely got to hear. "I want to kill her. I want to kill her for hurting you." Jake held his little brother closer and nuzzled his golden hair with his snout.

"Jake…"

"I love you, little bro," the words caught a little in his throat.

"I love you too." There was a short pause and then, "Jake-"

"Don't you dare say it again, Finn."

"But it wasn't her fault."

Jake sighed and there was a longer silence between them. Finn was close enough that he could hear his brother's heartbeat.

"Okay, Finn," Jake breathed finally. "Okay, Marceline lost control, I get it. I don't forgive her, but I get it."

"Th-that's not the worst part." Finn tensed up as the guilt continued to pile up, making his stomach feel like a cold bottomless pit.

Jake ran a paw through Finn's hair in an attempt to relax him. "What's the worst part?"

"I…" Finn didn't want to admit it. Admitting it would make it real. He could handle being attacked by Marceline, because Marceline hadn't been herself, but this, this was all him. The tears began to spill over again and he tried to keep his voice steady so Jake wouldn't notice. "She was attacking me, and I was scared, I didn't know what to do!" His voice broke and his shoulders began to shake; so much for keeping his composure. "But I- I had my sword and when she jumped on me again I… I didn't want to but… I stabbed her, Jake!" Finn turned around and sobbed into his brother's fur, seeking any form of comfort, and Jake willingly obliged, hugging him tightly.

"Hey, hey, it's not your fault. You were keeping yourself alive."

Finn made a conscious effort to calm down by taking a few breathes. "After I… you know, did that, she seemed to turn back into herself again, and then she just left." He looked up at the dog. "What if I really hurt her, Jake? What if I killed her? It was really deep, and I didn't hold back. How could I do that to her?"

"Finn, Marceline's a vampire," Jake reasoned, "She's really strong and I'm sure one wound can't kill her, or unkill her... I'm not exactly sure how that works. But the point is she's fine. You have nothing to feel guilty about."

"But she left at sunrise! She might not have been able to find shelter. It's my fault if something happens to her!"

Jake groaned. "How in Globs name can you be thinking about her wellbeing after she just-"

"I have to go see her!" Finn decided suddenly, trying to climb off his friend and onto the floor.

"What?"

"I have to see if she made it home alright. I have to see if she's okay!"

"Finn, no." Jake grabbed his friend around the waist, careful to avoid his injuries. "You're not going anywhere! You passed out a few hours ago from blood loss, you're not okay. You're going to sleep here until I say it's okay to get up, and then we can discuss how you're never going to Marceline's ever again."

"Jake!" Finn struggled desperately against his brother's grip. "I have to go! I have to see if she's okay and apologize! This is my fault! Mine!"

Somewhere in the back of Finn's mind, he knew he wasn't thinking straight. Earlier this morning he had put all his effort into trying to get away from Marceline's house and back to Jake. Now, he wanted nothing more than to see Marceline. It was irrational, but Finn felt so guilty and worried for her he couldn't stand the thought of continuing to rest in his bed without knowing if she was alright. A part of Finn knew he didn't have the strength to travel all the way back to Marceline's house right now, but the way Jake kept saying he would never see her again just made Finn all the more desperate.

"You're being stupid," Jake chastised. "What makes you think she is even home? You're going to get there and no one will answer and you still won't know if she's alright or not. It's pointless!"

Finn froze, his breath catching in his throat. "So, you do think she might not be alright? You think it's possible I killed her?" he whispered.

"Oh cram, no I don't! I'm sorry, Finn, I shouldn't have said that. I'm sure she's fine! What I meant was she probably won't be home and you need to think about yourself first. You have to get better before we figure out what to do, and traveling while you're injured is just stupid. Please, Finn? For me, get some rest before you do anything stupid."

Jake was right and Finn knew it. There was no point in going to Marceline's house if she wasn't there, and Marceline probably wouldn't be able to travel again until nightfall without her hat or umbrella.

"Okay." He let out a breath. "I'll save the stupid stuff for when I'm feeling better."

"That's all I ask, bro." He ruffled Finn's hair with his paw, and just like that, the tension between them disappeared.

Finn huffed and swiped the hair out of his eyes with his good arm. "Jake, can you do me a favor?"

Jake laughed. "Let me guess; get you another hat?"

The human nodded happily. "Yeah man, thanks."

Jake shrank back to regular size and reached into Finn's closet for another bear hat. He handed the hat to Finn, and he then proceeded to curl up next to his brother. Finn wasted no time in pulling the hat over his head. He sighed in relief, feeling a little more like himself.

He would take today and tonight to rest, but he would travel back to Marceline's house tomorrow, even if he had to sneak out when Jake wasn't looking. It would be difficult because whenever Finn was injured or sick Jake always watched him very closely. He didn't want to go behind Jake's back, but this was something Finn had to do.

* * *

**One thing that I find interesting in the show is Finn can be very mature for his age by facing life and death situations and making tough decisions that don't just affect him but also people around him. And then there are other times in the show where you are reminded he is just a 12, 13, 14 year old boy (depending on the season) when he acts his age. I wanted to show this range in my fic, especially when he is hurt and seeks out his older brother for comfort. **

**Also, I have a little announcement to make, because I don't want you guys to be surprised. The next chapter is going to be the last chapter. This is the shortest multi-chaptered fic I have written, so it feels weird to me to be ending it so soon, but nevertheless, this fic was just intended to be five chapters long. However, I am thinking of a sequel, and I hope that sounds like a good idea to you guys. **


	5. Adventure Awaits

**Here it is! The last chapter and probably the inspiration for writing this fic. **

* * *

**Chapter 5: Adventure Awaits**

* * *

Finn couldn't believe his luck.

Jake had been hovering around him all morning to make sure he got enough rest and it had been impossible for Finn to sneak out. In addition to that, Finn didn't feel like he had the energy to walk all the way back to Marceline's house. His luck didn't change until the late afternoon. Jake decided to walk to the Candy Kingdom to bring the royal doctor to the Treefort in order to get Finn's injuries properly cared for. Jake didn't want Finn walking all the way to the Candy Kingdom, but his attempts to get a hold of PB over the phone had failed, so Jake had no choice but to head there alone. There must had been an emergency in the Kingdom for the princess to be unable to answer her phone, but Jake was confident that once PB heard about the incident she would insist her doctor check up on Finn.

However, this gave Finn time to travel to Marceline's house and see if she was okay. If Jake got held up in the Candy Kingdom then Finn may even be able to make it back before Jake noticed he was missing.

Finn hated to go behind Jake's back, but he knew his brother would try to stop him and he couldn't wait any longer to see Marceline. He promised Jake he wouldn't "do anything stupid" until he was feeling better, and although Finn woke up still feeling absolutely terrible, after so long in bed he felt like he was going to go crazy if he didn't do something. He was feeling stronger too. He had actually got up quite a few times to get food and drinks from downstairs, and each time he was sent back to bed by an angry Jake. Apparently, he was supposed to ask Jake if he wanted something, which was flipping stupid. He wasn't a baby; he could get it for himself. It was weird to be told what to do by Jake too… geez, who knew Jake could sound so much like their dad?

Finn left for Marceline's house as soon as Jake left for the Candy Kingdom. He knew it would be a difficult trek, but Jake had managed to stitch up the serious wounds while Finn had been out cold, and as long as they didn't reopen he wouldn't suffer much more blood loss. Finn was still experiencing the effects of blood loss, but he would take the journey slow and take lots of breaks. PB and Jake would kill him if they learned about this, but Finn knew he could handle it; Marceline's house wasn't that far and he was very familiar with the road.

He hoped Marceline had made it back home. He didn't know how he would feel if he arrived and found the house exactly as they had left it. Finn kept replaying the fight between Marceline and him over and over again in his head, especially the part where he had stabbed her. In that moment, he had aimed to kill, and if he never saw her again then he would never know if the blow had done its job. Jake didn't understand, he just continued to insist that Finn had been protecting himself and he didn't have anything to feel guilty about.

However, Finn did feel guilty and ashamed and like he had betrayed his best friend. He had killed hundreds of monsters in his short lifetime, but Marceline wasn't a monster. She was his friend, and in one short moment Finn had chosen his own life over hers'. He wasn't sure if he could forgive himself for that.

The trek to her house felt a lot shorter this time, and when he arrived he realized he had no idea what he was going to say. An apology didn't feel like enough, but it was all he had. All he really wanted to do was make sure she was okay; he didn't really expect her to accept his apology or forgive him.

Without much of a plan, Finn climbed into the small row boat and entered the cave.

* * *

Once night fell again, Marceline had made her way back to her house. She feared what she would see when she got there, and was relieved that Finn wasn't lying on the floor dead. He must have headed back home. Perhaps that meant she hadn't killed him after all… unless he bled to death and never made it to his house. Marceline cringed and tried not to think about that.

After Marceline had realized what she had done and fled her house, she hadn't been thinking straight. All she knew was she had to get out of there. She had to go far away; away from the scent of human fear and blood. If she stayed, if she tried to do anything to help, she would have lapsed back into a blood-frenzied monster and there was no doubt she would have killed Finn. Barely able to think straight, clutching the deep wound in her stomach, and fighting the urge that told her to 'go back and finish off that pathetic mortal' she flew to the only place left to go: her old home. If she could just tell Jake what happened he would be able to help Finn and possibly save his life. However, when she arrived at the Treefort no one was home, and she couldn't even find the cute little computer that lived with Finn and Jake.

She didn't know where Jake could be, but she felt so hopeless. This was all her fault. She had single-handedly killed Finn, and the worst part was the vampire part of her enjoyed it.

The sun was halfway past the horizon by the time she had left the Treefort. The light wasn't bright enough to burn her yet, but it made her skin tingle uncomfortably. She fled for shelter and found a place in a narrow dark cave she didn't recognize. She stayed there all day, pulled between the intense urge to lick the rest of Finn's blood off her skin, and the choking guilt surrounding fact that she_ had Finn's blood on her skin_.

Once the sun set again she made her way back to her home. She had spent the rest of the night trying to clean up the human blood from her house, which was a challenge all in itself. Just the smell made her emotions range from pure bliss to absolute self-hatred and caused her break down several more times that night. When the sun began to rise, Marceline decided to try to get some sleep. Her house still smelt like blood to her sensitive nose, but a little bit of blood she could handle.

She had tried to get some sleep but her mind wouldn't let her. She couldn't stop worrying about where Finn was. She decided to check up on him first thing tomorrow night. She wouldn't let him see her, but at least she would know if he was alright or not.

Hours passed and still she couldn't find relief from the land of consciousness. It was late afternoon when Marceline heard a noise outside that sounded like someone was climbing out of the boat. Curious, Marceline used her invisibility to look out her front window and to her surprise she saw Finn tying the rowboat up to a rock.

Tears immediately sprung to her eyes and she fell out of the air in pure shock. She barely managed to catch herself.

_Thank Glob!_

She hastily wiped the tears away when another thought occurred to her.

_What in Ooo was he doing here?_

Marceline watched as he walked up to her house without a bit of hesitation, his left arm held gingerly to his body. What was he doing here all alone? Didn't he hate her? If he had come for revenge then he was out of his mind, plus, he didn't even bring his sword. If not revenge, than what else could be possibly want?

He knocked on the door loudly. "Marcie, it's me! Are you in there?"

Marceline seriously considered pretending not to be home. She couldn't face him, not after everything she had done to him. After all, she had already decided she was never going to see him again, for her sake and for his, but that was before he showed up on her doorstep calling her name… calling her by her nickname as if they were still friends.

Her curiosity was just as powerful as her shame and she found herself becoming visible again and opening the door. She gave him a blank, neutral stare. She had learned centuries ago that emotions could betray you and it was always safest to appear stoic, especially if you felt like hell on the inside.

Finn, on the other hand, just broke out into that same damn bright grin he always wore. "Marceline, you're alright! Thank Glob! I was so worried about you!"

Wait. _What?_

That just made the world shift beneath her feet.

"What are you-?" she croaked.

"I'm so, so sorry, Marceline! I-I didn't realize what I was doing! I didn't mean to hurt you! I'm so glad you're okay! You have no idea how worried I've been about you!"

This was wrong. This was nothing like she expected; her brain was struggling to process everything. Why in the world was Finn apologizing to her?

"Finn." She took a moment to pause, wondering what was more likely: that Finn had broken his brain or she was actually dreaming. "What are you talking about?"

"I-" he hesitated, "I stabbed you, re-remember?" She could hear his throat tighten around the words and they barely managed to make it out of his mouth. "I was scared I might have…"

That's what this was about? That was… she couldn't... _what? _

Just…_ what?_

She held out a hand to stop him, a scowl on her lips.

"Let me get this straight," she demanded, "I almost killed you and you were worried about the wound that little toothpick gave me?" Marceline was shaking she was so angry.

"Umm, yeah, it was really deep and then you flew outside and the sun was rising and… I was worried…"

Marceline growled, but he seemed to misinterpret the reason for her anger and he glanced down at his feet.

"I'm really sorry, Marcie, and I understand why you're mad at me. I just wanted to come by to make sure you were okay."

"Finn," she tried to keep her voice calm, but she was sure he could hear it shaking with rage. "I almost ripped your throat open and you're worried about me? Do you realize how stupid that is? I could have killed you, I wanted to kill you, and look at you! You're still badly injured! You should be scared of me! You should never want to see me again! Why aren't you scared of me?" she shouted, practically ripping her hair out in frustration.

Finn looked taken aback, like the thought hadn't even crossed his mind. "But Marcie," he began softly, "That wasn't you, I know that wasn't you. I was stupid and I forgot you were a vampire. You didn't try to kill me, your vampire side did. I know you would never hurt me because you're my friend."

She stared at him, the silence weighing heavily between them as he waited for her to respond

"I'm not your friend, Finn," she informed him harshly. "Friends don't try to kill each other. A part of me still wants to kill you, even now. How can you consider me a friend now that you know that?"

"Marceline, of course you're my friend!" he insisted. "That stuff doesn't matter; all of us have good and bad in us, even me, even though I don't think you believe it."

He was right, she didn't believe it. Finn didn't have an evil bone in his body.

"But," he continued, "it's what we _do_ that matters, like our actions and stuff."

Marceline blew a strand of hair out of her eyes. "Like almost killing you? That sort of action?"

"No, like fighting against your nature and probably saving my life! I saw you fighting Marceline, every second you were fighting."

She had to look away. She could feel the sting of tears behind her eyes and she didn't want him to see them water.

"So yes, I was scared when I was attacked, but I'm not scared of _you_, and you're still my friend." He reached out and touched her arm. His hand was so warm and alive; it was comforting and a miracle to know he wasn't afraid of her. He wasn't afraid of the monster who hungrily tried to tear him apart a little over twenty –four hours ago. He wasn't afraid just because he happened to be friends with said monster.

The vampire backed away, using her hair to cover her face.

"This is dumb," she informed him, but her voice sounded more like a stubborn child than she intended.

"Marceline, I'm fine! I wasn't hurt that badly."

"Don't lie to me, Finn." She gave him an angry glare that she had perfected over centuries.

"Okay, I was hurt, but I've been hurt worse before. Just… please don't feel bad Marceline. I don't blame you at all."

"I don't feel bad!" she shouted defensively, and the moment she said it Marceline knew it was a lie. A stupid lie and Finn knew it too, but she couldn't help it. She was Marceline the Vampire Queen; he was a mortal that she sometime let hang around her. She wasn't supposed to feel bad and she wasn't supposed to care for him.

Finn just smiled a happy smile without any hint of bitterness or belittling. "Good!" It was just a naïve, joyful, honest, pure smile.

Sometimes Marceline felt like dirt.

Finn really, truly didn't blame her. He had come over to check on her because he cared about her, and he wasn't scared or hesitant because he trusted her. To him, it was like she accidently spilled some milk on his shorts instead of nearly ripping out his throat out, because he had known it had been an accident. It was ridiculous, but in some small way he did have a point. She would never intentionally harm him. The part of her that did harm him was a part of herself that she couldn't control, and Marceline would do everything in her power to make sure it never happened again.

In fact, the only thing Finn seemed to care about in the whole incident was when he stabbed her with his sword and managed to pull her out of her blood lust trance, which was the most absurd thing to be guilty over. Sure, she was still healing and it had been a long time since a weapon had done any sort of damage to her, but she had been grateful. There was no doubt in her mind that she would have killed Finn if he wasn't so handy with his sword.

Marceline chuckled a little, feeling a little bit more like her old self, but the movement caused her abdomen to ache and she placed her and over her stomach on reflex. "Normally you're supposed to use wood to kill a vampire, but I have to admit, that demon blood sword of yours isn't half bad."

Marceline regretted joking about her injury as soon as she said it.

Finn's face fell and he looked devastated. "I'm sorry! I didn't want to hurt you! I don't really remember what happened, I just-"

"Finn!" she yelled, catching his attention. "Why are you so- girrrr!" Marceline growled placing a hand on her forehead. "Just stop, okay? Stop it. You have nothing to apologize for."

"But-"

"No! I almost killed you, Finn. You had every right to defend yourself! Yeah, I'm hurt, okay whatever." She rolled her eyes. "But I'm undead, you weenie! In a few days it will be like it never happened." A few days healing was a long time for Marceline, and that just spoke to how powerful the sword was if it managed to slow her vampire healing powers.

Finn bit his lip. She could see him thinking over what she had said.

"Besides," she added, "stabbing me knocked me out of that trance…" She shuttered and then mumbled quietly, "I should be grateful, I hate losing control like that."

"You're grateful…" Finn paused for a moment, taking it in, "you're grateful I stabbed you?

Marceline shrugged. "It's better than the alternative."

_It's better than you losing your life at my hands._

"Okay." Finn took a deep breath. "Then, we're okay?" he asked hopefully.

Marceline wanted to scoff. How the flip could they be okay? How could they still be friends and carry on as if nothing happened after all this? But… they were okay. Finn seemed to have an utter disregard for his future safety and an almost saint-like ability to forgive; plus, Marceline's stomach would heal in about forty-eight hours, and although she would never forgive herself for hurting him, she was starting to understand that it was an accident and she would never let it happen again. So yeah… it was ridiculous, idealistic and borderline crazy, but yeah, they were going to be okay.

Instead, Marceline rolled her eyes to the heavens. "Oh, if you must continue to hang around me then I guess I can allow it. I do need someone to jam with once in a while who isn't a complete wuss."

Finn laughed and threw his hands in the air. "Alright!" He paused and his face scrunched up in pain. "…Oww!" he brought his hands back down and cradled his left shoulder.

Marceline raised an eyebrow at his forgetfulness. "We should probably be a bit more careful, and I doubt we'll go adventuring together again after this."

"What? No! We have to go adventuring together again, you're the best!" Finn pleaded, his eyes growing impressively wide.

"Finn!" I couldn't help but laugh. "After last time, do you really think that's a good idea?"

"Hmm." Finn seemed to consider it. "Well, what if Jake always came along, Marcie? Then you could still be with us and if one of us gets hurt we can help each other," he proposed eagerly.

"You really want me to come along that bad, huh?" The kid was a real charmer; he always wants everyone together having fun. It's like he can't stand to see anyone left out. "Alright, if I'm not doing anything then I'll still adventure with you guys once in a while."

"Mathematical!" In his excitement he threw his arms around her waist, and she tensed automatically. She wouldn't be that opposed to a hug, even if it was a bit mushy for her tastes, but Finn was still injured and even though a lot of his blood had dried, his wounds were still fresh enough to put her on edge.

"Finn!"She pushed him away harshly. Marceline pointed to herself. "Vampire, remember?" She tapped him on the forehead. "You're still hurt. What do I have to do? Wear a sign? Stay the plop away from me when you smell like food, would you?"

Finn blushed a deep red. "O-oh, sorry! I didn't mean to! I guess I just forgot… again."

Marceline rolled her eyes. "Yeah well, whatever. If I couldn't handle a little bit of blood I would have never gone monster fighting with you in the first place. Although, I'm not surprised Jake tagged along just to make sure I wasn't going to try and eat you again." She smirked.

Finn's eyebrows lifted in confusion. "What are you talking about? Jake didn't come along."

He doesn't know?

"Oh yeah, well how come I can smell him by those rocks over there?" she asked, pointing to the large boulders sitting where the end of the lake met the cave. Finn followed her gaze.

"Jake?" he questioned.

They heard a nervous laugh and a small, orange dog no bigger than Marceline's fist crawled out from between the rocks.

"H-hey guys!" he greeted, stretching back to his normal size.

"Jake! What are you doing here, man?" Finn seemed genuinely astonished by his brother's appearance, but Marceline had known he had been there since Finn first arrived. She just assumed Finn knew too.

"I was just… you know…umm, playing the stalker game! Yeah, that's it! It's super fun, Finn! Unless there is a vampire that gives you away." Even though Jake mentioned Marceline, he still didn't look at her, and instead, focused his attention on his brother.

"The stalker game? Come on man, you know that game is really called ninjas. Admit it: you were following me because you didn't want me to go to Marceline's! Not cool, man!"

Marceline sighed. As much as she hated siding with authority… wait, was Jake authority to Finn? He was his older brother and that was a type of authority, but he didn't act like an authority figure most of the time. Anyway, as much as she hated to side with someone trying to make the rules, she could definitely see why Jake wouldn't want Finn to come here on his own.

"Like I said," Marceline interrupted, "Jake came here to make sure I didn't eat you. He was trying to protect you… from me."

"But Marcie!" However, no one was listening to Finn anymore. Jake was finally lookin- glaring at Marceline, his whole body tense. "Jake?" Finn tried.

"You hurt him." Jake said gruffly. Marceline had never seen him so serious.

"But, Jake, I told you! She didn't mean it! It was an accident!" Finn protested, walking up to his best friend and tugging on his arm. He received no answer.

And the great Marceline the Vampire Queen couldn't even hold the dog's gaze. She looked down. "I know."

"Marcie?" Finn whimpered and took a few steps closer to the vampire. He was in-between them, but still only an arm's length away from Jake. He would always be closer to Jake, and there was nothing Marceline could do, or would want to do, to change that. It was where the human belonged.

A few seconds passed and Marceline finally managed to look Finn's older brother in the eye. "I'm sorry," she admitted quietly, but it didn't feel like enough. There were no words to express how sorry Marceline was.

Jake's gaze softened and his shoulders loosened a little. "I know."

Marceline blinked in surprise.

Jake shrugged. "I've been here the whole time, I heard everything." There was a short pause and then, "If you hurt him again I will kill you."

Marceline didn't even bother pointing out the impossibility of that statement, both because she was already dead, and because she was way too powerful to be felled by him.

Instead, Marceline just nodded. "It won't happen again." None of this felt like enough. There was no way Jake could know how much of Marceline had gone into that promise. He couldn't possibly understand how much it killed her to know she had hurt Finn.

Jake nodded, and then his lip twitched into a little half-smile "So, you're coming adventuring with us in a few weeks, right?" Or perhaps… he did understand better than she thought.

Finn laughed and nodded his head. "Yeah, she is! This is going to be great! My best friends in the world off on an adventure!"

Finn's energy was contagious and Marceline found herself smiling at Jake, a smile which he returned.

Marceline couldn't believe it. She hadn't expected Jake to forgive her… or, if he hadn't completely forgiven her yet, then it looked like he was at least trying, most likely for Finn's sake. Marceline doubted Jake would ever be fully willing to trust her around Finn, and after this incident she didn't even trust herself. However, she was grateful it looked like she hadn't completely lost Jake's friendship. As for herself, it would take a long time to even come close to forgiving her carelessness and nearly killing Finn, and she doubted she ever would.

However, there was one thing she was completely sure of. Even if she continued on to see another thousand or even ten thousand years, she would never again find mortals quite like these; ones that made her feel welcome, happy, and strangest of all: alive.

To treasure something she knew would eventually be gone was painful, but not as painful as letting time with them slip by.

And in centuries from now she would look back and remember them: Jake the dog and Finn the human. But until then…

Adventure awaits.

**The End**

* * *

**I just wrote the words 'The End' on a story. I just finished a story! WOOT! Sorry for freaking out, but this is the first time I truly finished a multi-chaptered fic. That's it! It's done!**

**However, if there is one thing you should know about me is I have trouble letting projects go. And as soon as I wrote those last two words, Adventure Awaits, I knew that was going to be the title of the sequel. I was never planning to do a sequel when I started this story. I write for myself, only myself and not for a review number. The only reason I post stories is to connect with the fandom, meet awesome new people, and get feedback for my work. That's why reviews mean so much to me! If I wanted I could have kept this story to myself, it was already mostly written anyway, but I wanted to be a part of the community. I just never realized how wonderful you guys would be. **

**Seriously, thank you for everything. I never expected so many people to like my story. Your enthusiasm and kind words have inspired me to write the sequel. The sequel is out now so go check it out!  
**

**Okay, enough on that. Please review and tell me what you thought of the last chapter! It's been so fun writing it and you guys are the best!**


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